i'm in co, there's a dozen dispensaries in my town & i've tried all of them & found mediocre weed (overly dry & all smell the same because all are grown exactly the same regardless of what different strains want) to chock full of unflushed chemical fertilizers & pesticides that are probably entirely illegal to use on weed. the latter just killed my trust in the small shop i've used for years. pay attention to your smoke. it should burn clean, quiet like a cig & leave clean grey ash that turns to nothing rubbed between your fingers. if it cracks & sizzles it's very full of chemicals. if it leaves any black charcoal that can be re-lit, again, unclean. if it tastes sharp & you cough more than usual or are left with a dry, scratchy feeling in your throat suspect powdery mildew. if it smells and tastes musty, bud rot. i've came across ALL of this at dispensaries here in co. i know most folks think i'm lucky to walk into a storefront & have a myriad of choices and i am. but it's still buyer beware.
Sad but true, 90% of consumers won't notice any of this, they're just happy to buy strong weed on the cheap.
the ultra competative legal market leads to lowest common denominator end product at the lowest possible price. if it is clean, chances are its overly dry (here in co) which is very common. stems should snap sharp & clean while buds should squish. if you're paying 40-50 an 8th you should expect clean, properly cared for smoke, legal or not. personally i'd rather buy bricked mex than good looking powerful but unclean "kind bud"
i highly recommend growing your own regardless of your situation (as always know your legalities at your own risk) for most of my adult life i took care of myself on a very small scale,selling/telling no one, not even freinds i'd gift with it. growing on the sly, small & discrete is very rewarding. i've done this in as small a space as a computer case with roommates totally unaware.